Krulg
As Krulg softly padded through the underbrush, rifle in hand, he kept a grim watch on his opponent. Had it been hours or days, he did not know, nor did he care. The camouflage he had painted himself with was making him sweat profusely, and the humid swamp air was not making things any more comfortable. Bringing his goggles down on his beady, bloodshot eyes, he made a swift, crouched dash towards the cave and quickly produced some miscellaneous spelunking tools. he made sure the candle on his helm was lit and began to scale down the sheer rock. Even a very skilled climber would have had a difficult experience on such a jaggedly steep cliff face, but Krulg made his way as silently and swiftly as possible down the cliff. Then, just as he reached the bottom, a sound; Krulg turned left, then right, and then noticed that a troll was down the dimly lit cavern, about ten yards back. The disgusting sounds of the shambling horror were all too familiar to this prospector, and as he took 'casual' aim and let a barrage of bullets loose on the troll. It shrieked in pain as the whirlwind of steel hemorrhaged its flesh. Bullet after bullet pummeled into the monstrosity's chunky, muscular body like darts would a dartboard. Then, when Krulg was ready (and had run out of shells), he deftly threw himself from the corner from which he was concealed with an agile roll. With his main weapons, a pair of giant, serrated mining pickaxes almost the size of him that he miraculously seemed to wield in each hand, and bellowed out a wild Dwarven chant as he made a swift double chop, attempting to lop the troll's head brutally off. Statistics Name: Krulg Faction: Alliance Race: Dwarf (Wildhammer) Class: Dwarven Prospector/Barbarian/ Dungeoneer Common Titles: The Axeman, The Swamp Hawk Gender: Male Age: 178 Height: 3'9" Weight: 187 pounds Hair: Dark crimson Eyes: Blue Alignment: Chaotic/Lawful Neutral Professions: Blacksmith, Archaeologist, Miner A Dwarf Doomed to Die Krulg's life began in the wilderness. Born in a small hut in the Hinterlands to parents who were cousins of many Wildhammer dwarves, Krulg was instantly introduced to brutal rituals and trials that tested his strength, will, and cunning. His father, mother, and brother were very close, but he really was not wanted within the family. He was an outcast amongst his own kin, and always struggled to be one step better than his brother; a feat that, in his parent's eyes, he would never achieve, as his parents were abusive and reclusive. He became awkward and didn't speak much as a child, but found shelter in the care of his uncle, a dwarf who Krulg always admired for his skill with the axe. At a very young age, Krulg was taught the finer points of axemanship, mining, and smelting. As Krulg aged, he was eventually forbidden to see his uncle. The last time he saw him, Krulg was given a pair of worn leather goggles, and to this day he still wears them, during almost any situation. He began to grow more and more introverted after this event, holding on to the only thing he had to remember his uncle by. When his brother perished of unknown causes while he was 97, the blame was instantly placed on him. His mother and father hated him even more, and Krulg was exiled from his kin. Not knowing what to do, Krulg fled in the night, solemn and grim, and went into the heart of the woods and participated in many odd taboos; he shaved his beard clean off, tattooed his body, and scarred himself with a runes. He severed all ties to his family to try and redeem himself in their eyes. He knew what he had to do, and he was prepared to reach his goal: an ultimate quest to die a glorious, honorable death. The Way of the Runemaster When Krulg was venturing in the wilderness towards Aerie Peak, his self-proclaimed first stop on his quest to die, he met a dwarf that would alter his life forever. Known as Kjolnar Gorefist, the dwarf was an amazingly skilled runemaster, and when the two met, Kjolnar was in the middle of a struggle with a warband of trolls; creatures Krulg had never seen before. Axe and fist viciously met spear and tusk as the two Dwarves fought, Krulg hoping to meet his doom. As the fight raged on, Kjolnar and Krulg finished the fight, and though Kjolnar probably didn't really need the assistance, he saw something in the young dwarf's eye; something that reminded Kjolnar of himself at that age. Krulg's combat prowess was, to say the least, impressive for his age, and Kjolnar took Krulg to his hut in the mountains near Skulk Rock. When they arrived, training instantly began; Krulg let his weapons down in favor for more martial combat, and studied runes for almost 30 years. Training was long, gruelling, and often times relentless, with constant drills, rune studies, glyph-memorizing, and meditating, but things were about to get even more challenging. At age 122, Krulg was sent on some of the most dangerous trials he has ever faced. The Triad Kjolnar saw amazing prowess in this Dwarf, who, now becoming an adult, was progressing extremely fast. He obviously was a skilled Dwarf and would go on to do great things; and Kjolnar placed on him the final tests: The Three Trials. The motives were not known for The first trial, not far from the hut, was to go to Skulk Rock, face the slimes, and gather the Ghost Mushrooms. Once completed, he must bring back evidence of his triumph over the slimes to Kjolnar. Krulg did as he was told, and teacher and student meditated whilst ingesting the mushroom. The second trial was much more difficult. Krulg was to go to the sacred troll city of Jintha'Alor, and was to defeat the trolls, take their skulls and steal their mojo. Once the mojo was acquired, Krulg was to carve difficult runes on to the foreheads of the skulls without breaking them. Then, he was to activate the magic in the runes and place the troll mojo into the eyeholes of the skull. The third and final trial was what seemed to be a suicide mission; just the way Krulg liked it. The Runemaster sent his faithful apprentice to the wilds of The Hinterlands to slay as many trolls as he possibly could, without food or water or any weaponry. Krulg barely made it, narrowly escaping the troll witch doctors eager for a good stew. Upon his return to the hut to proclaim his success, he found his master brutally maimed and painfully killed. Krulg suspected it was troll sorcery. Solemnly carrying his master all the way back to a lake near the Altar of Zul, he laid his master to rest on the lakeside, he took a final oath. He vowed to find the killer of his master one day, or die trying. Surely, thought he, this task would offer him a noble death. And so, Krulg made his way through the harsh wilderness towards Aerie Peak to stock up on supplies and to continue his journey out of his homeland. Krulg's Travels A ruffled map, stained with ale and blood, is torn in multiple places, but bears an easily recognizable title: "Krulg's Travels". Interest in his Titan Origins Krulg recently has become interested in the origin of his kin, and has combined his quest for death and glory with wealth and knowledge. He has become learned in the ways of semantics and linguistics, as well as research, wilderness survival, prospecting, archaeology, cartography, tracking, and spelunking. He has given up on the ways of a Runemaster, in favor of what he believes to be a more worthy endeavor. Though this may or may not be true, Krulg himself believes it so, and now takes on the title of Prospector and works with the Explorer's League and is attempting to make his own agency based on the pursuit of knowledge through the use of techniques such as prospecting, archaeology, and research. Krulg, however, has not forgotten his sacred oath, and he continues to try and seek his death in righteous combat. Personality Now a grizzled dwarf, Krulg has met many near-death experiences and has many a gray hair on his beard. He seems to be much more talkative and, at times, merry. Although he wishes to, he knows he can never return to his family; though he is sure they live, he dares not go back, as he feels he has brought enough shame on himself. He likes to drink by himself, but is very talkative, boastful, and ready to tell almost anyone about his latest delve into a dangerous place when approached. He is wary of just about anyone, but when softened up with a bit of ale, he seems eager to interrupt and tell a rousing tale of a recent dungeon-delve or adventure, whether fact or fictional. He particularly respects Ironforge Dwarves, Gnomes, and especially Goblins, because of their feats in engineering. Goblin engineers have taught Krulg alot in his journeys, and he finds not only comfort in his tinkering, but companionship amongst the goblins who teach and build with him. The suicidal nature of many of these weapons also sates Krulg's often never-ending taste for daring stunts. He tends to stay out of the violence between the Alliance and Horde, and doesn't really classify himself as a member of the Alliance. He likes to read, which seems odd at first, but is understandable after getting to know a little bit more about him. Looks Current: Height wise, Krulg seems to be a bit on the short side, but his features are jagged and broad; he's made of pure muscle. Thick bones and wide shoulders make him look like a compact, heavyset box. His eyes are beady and bloodshot, visible under a pair of dirty leather goggles which he wears even when his head is under a faded, wide-brimmed leather hat with a dimly lit wax candle tied on the bill. His voice is deep and gravelly, almost as if he's gargled razors his entire life, but is enthusiastic almost constantly, as if he'd just made a new, groundbreaking discovery just before talking. A thick cord strung with troll skulls hangs on his neck. The skulls on the necklace have different runes on them, and the eyes seem to glow softly, and one who is proficient in magic could feel a sufficient supply of energy coming from the eerie skulls. Krulg keeps his beard cut short. His head is shaved bald, save for a single matted braid in the back of his head, bound with a deadly-looking, spiked, circular clasp inscribed with ominous runes. Small, sharp silver studs shoved in his head create a brutal mohawk pattern while the remaining scalp is scarred and tatooed with vibrant troll-like mythological heiroglyphs and grim, harsh runes of mysterious origin. These tatooes are present on every visible part of his body. His left front tooth is knocked out, and his right is cracked and leaning brutally to the left, dangling on the edge of existence, like the rest of his rotting teeth. His armor is rough and scrapped together, stained with oil, blood, ale and food. He carries two bandoleers, crossed in an ‘x’ over his chest, each fully stocked with what smells like explosives, spelunking and adventuring tools, bullets, and rope are also present on the bandoleers. Krulg smells and looks as if he's rigged and ready to blow and just came out of a damp, dark, swampy cave. A backpack, almost as tall and heavy as he is, is tied tightly to his back. Hanging on the backpack is a bloody, serrated mining pick, numerous scroll cases, and other complex and mundane tools. A belt chokes his waist, on which are many small stone plaques with a rune engraved on each one. Some of the runes are mundane, whilst others are extremely complex and amazingly detailed. A keg of spirits, ornately carved and bigger than Krulg’s own head, is corked shut and strapped tightly to the girdle. A thick cord hangs from the bottom of the pony keg, woven in which is the tusks, teeth, ears and skulls of ogres, trolls, and other monsters. Over his shoulders, an ugly 'decoration' resides; a dead troll's skin and head wrapped around his shoulders like a shawl. A small amount of the cord reaches the ground, making hollow clinking sounds as the gruesome trophies dangle on the ground.